2. Foreword from the author
We don’t know why tragic situations occur in our
lives. It just doesn’t seem fair when it happens to you.
It’s very hard to have the strength to step away from
the situation and look at it from God’s perspective. It
takes faith to accept, move forward, and be positive.
At the end of Adam’s funeral, I addressed the over 500
people attending, “I don’t know why this happened to
our family, but I cannot spend too much time trying to
understand why and miss out on God’s blessings that
he has for this situation. And I don’t want any of you to
either.” Since that day, I have put my faith to work to
find the good out of such a tragic situation and allow
it to shape me into a better person. This book is one of
those good things … a true blessing to share some of
our story from a child’s perspective. My hope is that it
inspires many of you to persevere through whatever
challenging situation you have experienced in your life.
- Rebecca Crownover
3. In memory of Adam Crownover...
We will forever miss you until
we see you again.
— Love, B and Acie
4. It was July 4th! My mommy, daddy,
and I went to a ranch for a party.
I played and went swimming with
my best friend, BB. We all ate a
good dinner and then it was dark.
5. The grown-ups started shooting off fireworks
and they were beautiful! I loved the fireworks,
that rainbow of colors, sparkling in the sky.
Then it happened - and my life was never going to be the same.
6. My daddy got on an ATV – that’s like a four-wheeler but bigger,
with two seats – and was riding around the ranch in the dark.
Suddenly, he had an accident and fell out of the ATV, hurting
his head. The ambulance came to take him to the hospital.
The doctors tried and tried to help my
daddy in the hospital, but six days later he
died and went to Heaven to be with Jesus.
7. My two-and-a-half-year-old mind was
confused. I asked my mommy over
and over, “Mommy, where’s Daddy?”
But Mommy always said, “Acie, your
daddy is in Heaven with Jesus.”
8. One day, as we were eating dinner I asked, “Mommy,
is Daddy ever coming home?” She looked at me with
tears in her eyes and said, “No, honey, we will not see
him again here. But someday, when we go to Heaven,
we will see him again.” It made me very sad that I
would not see my daddy again until I get to Heaven.
9. But after a few months, Mommy said
that we were big girls and needed to
start sleeping in our own beds.
I did not like that at first, but I got
used to it after a while. Now, I love
sleeping in my own bed!
After my daddy went to Heaven, I slept every night with
my mommy. We both missed my daddy and we wanted
to be near each other at night.
10. I miss my daddy. I remember how he called me
“Shorty,” and how I would run to him when he
got home from work. I would shout, “Daddy!”
because I was always excited to see him.
11. I remember how Daddy used to
take me by the hand and dance
with me. He was such a fun daddy!
12. I’ve been telling my mommy that I want a new daddy.
She keeps telling me that I have to pray and ask God
to bring the right person for both of us.
I pray every night for a new daddy who will love
me and my mommy very much. I pray that he will
come soon. I also pray that he will have two dogs.
13. Mommy reads a verse from the Bible to
me every night. It is Jeremiah 29:11:
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares
the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm
you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
14. I know that God wasn’t being mean to my family by
taking my daddy to Heaven. My daddy is in Heaven
with Jesus because God has another plan for me and
my mommy. I have faith in God’s plan for our future
and can’t wait to see the path he takes us on!
15. Special Thanks
To my mom, dad, Sister Deborah,
the Crownover family, the Ehlert
family and friends, LeeAnn, and
Grace for all of the support you’ve
had for Acie and I. We have all
taken a great journey together and
I appreciate each and every one of
you for being an important part of
our lives. Additional thanks and
appreciation goes my counselor,
Tom Harris, for listening and
ultimately getting me through the
hardest time of my life.
